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Objectives .............................................................................................................................................. 2
9.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 2
9.2 Website Design ............................................................................................................................. 3
9.2.1 Guidelines for Developing a Website............................................................................... 3
9.2.2 Analysing Overall Site Aims ............................................................................................ 3
9.2.3 Website Architecture ........................................................................................................ 4
9.2.4 Navigation Planning ......................................................................................................... 7
9.2.5 Designing for Hyper-Reading .......................................................................................... 8
9.2.6 Estimating Download Times ............................................................................................ 9
9.3 Formats of Web Graphic Images ................................................................................................ 10
9.3.1 Main Features of the GIF Format ................................................................................... 10
9.3.2 GIF Headers ................................................................................................................... 11
9.3.3 GIF Colour Palettes ........................................................................................................ 11
9.3.4 Interlacing ...................................................................................................................... 12
9.3.5 Transparency .................................................................................................................. 12
9.4 Features of JPEG Format ............................................................................................................ 12
9.4.1 'Lossy' and 'lossless' compression techniques ................................................................ 13
9.5 Designing Website File Structure ............................................................................................... 15
9.6 Review Questions ....................................................................................................................... 16
9.6.1 Review Question 1 ......................................................................................................... 16
9.6.2 Review Question 2 ......................................................................................................... 17
9.6.3 Review Question 3 ......................................................................................................... 17
9.6.4 Review Question 4 ......................................................................................................... 17
9.6.5 Review Question 5 ......................................................................................................... 17
9.6.6 Review Question 6 ......................................................................................................... 17
9.6.7 Review Question 7 ......................................................................................................... 17
9.6.8 Review Question 8 ......................................................................................................... 17
9.6.9 Review Question 9 ......................................................................................................... 17
9.6.10 Review Question 10 ..................................................................................................... 17
9.6.11 Review Question 11 ..................................................................................................... 18
9.6.12 Review Question 12 ..................................................................................................... 18
9.7 Discussion and Answers ............................................................................................................. 18
9.7.1 Discussion of Activity 1: Bad Websites ........................................................................ 18
9.7.2 Discussion of Activity 5: Using GIF Files .................................................................... 18
9.7.3 Discussion of Activity 6: Image Sizes........................................................................... 20
9.7.4 Answer to Review Question 1 ........................................................................................ 20
9.7.5 Answer to Review Question 2 ........................................................................................ 20
9.7.6 Answer to Review Question 3 ........................................................................................ 21
9.7.7 Answer to Review Question 4 ........................................................................................ 21
9.7.8 Answer to Review Question 5 ........................................................................................ 21
9.7.9 Answer to Review Question 6 ........................................................................................ 21
9.7.10 Answer to Review Question 7 ...................................................................................... 21
9.7.11 Answer to Review Question 8 ...................................................................................... 21
9.7.12 Answer to Review Question 9 ...................................................................................... 21
9.7.13 Answer to Review Question 10 .................................................................................... 21
9.7.14 Answer to Review Question 11 .................................................................................... 21
9.7.15 Answer to Review Question 12 .................................................................................... 21
1
, Website Design
Objectives
At the end of this chapter you will:
• Understand some basic global trends in e-commerce;
• Understand basic guidelines for website design;
• Understand some of the common mistakes in website design;
9.1 Introduction
There are at least four design issues that must be addressed when developing a website for e-commerce:
1. choosing the user interface for the content;
2. choosing the required images;
3. choosing the appropriate technology; and
4. devising the directory and file structures that will allow for the development and maintenance of
the site.
The first aspect belongs to the discipline of human-computer interaction (HCI) and the second to
graphic design. This course does not cover graphic design, but will mention some of the computer
graphics technologies involved. The chapter examines elements of HCI as it applies to the Web in
order to explore how websites can be made more usable, especially for potential customers.
The fourth choice does not directly affect the user. It is concerned with the organisation of the HTML
files, the graphics files (e.g. JPG files), etc, on the server. Of course, a failure to properly organise
these components of a website can lead an inability for the site and its developers to quickly respond
to changing business priorities and circumstances.
Internet commerce has become a major part of business. A report by the International
Telecommunication Union indicates that globally, 3.2 billion people are using the Internet, of which
two billion live in developing countries 1. Further, the report indicates that between 2000 and 2015,
Internet penetration has increased almost seven-fold from 6.5 to 43 per cent of the global population.
The proportion of households with Internet access at home advanced from 18 per cent in 2005 to 46
per cent in 20151. Much of the growth in web connectivity has come from mobile. Mobile broadband
penetration has gone up 12-fold since 2007 2. A 2015 study by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC)
indicated that many countries are seeing more online shopping than ever before. It also revealed that
while behaviors vary by country, consumers around the globe share the same expectations when it
comes to online shopping — they want efficiency, convenience and enjoyment 3. The report also
indicated global online shopper behavior by country. For example, Figure 4.1 indicates the online
shopping behavior of South Africans. The survey indicates that South African residents are the most
willing to pay for same-day deliver (79%)3. On a global scale, the products that are purchased the
most online are books, movies, music and video games. The study revealed that 63 percent of
shoppers said they prefer to purchase these items online, while 31 percent said they would rather buy
from a store 4. Recognizing these trends, browsers running on personal computers are no longer
assumed to be the only means for potential customers to access a site. They are connecting via
dedicated Internet appliances, such as phones with built-in browsers, via interactive TV, via hand
held devices, etc.
Figure 4.1: Online shopping behavior of South African residents (Source: PWC)
A website designer must, therefore, guarantee that consumers will:
• find the business website that they are developing;
• consider it interesting and attractive;
• find it easy to use; and
• be encouraged to return.
How do we, as developers of Internet commerce websites, attain these goals? To answer this, we begin by
examining an approach to website design, and follow that by highlighting what a designer should not be
doing.
9.2 Website Design
Unlike with software development, there are no accepted, well organised and documented methods for
developing Web sites. There are, however, some good practices — for example, it is best to avoid
'technology traps' by not committing to new, but untried, technologies.
9.2.1 Guidelines for Developing a Website
The development of many websites is driven by the enthusiasm of designers and implementers —
people who are often keen to use the latest technology. Being driven by technology rather than business and
customer needs can lead to sites that are slow in execution, complicated to use, and do not achieve the
intended results. Ironically, committing to a new technology too early can cause a website to rapidly
look dated, either because the technology did not become popular and so stayed in an old form, or because
the adoption of the new technology was so expensive that little budget remained for site maintenance.
As a general rule, avoid the unnecessary use of technology. While doing so, also recognise that any
technology that has been avoided at some point in a website's lifetime may become vital to the site as
the site's needs change, or even as user interface fashion progresses. This idea of change, and the fluidity
of the guidelines, is important. Technology that is unnecessary today may be acceptable or even
necessary in a few years’ time . For example, it was once considered inadvisable to use frames or scrolling
text. Now, these are less of an issue: frames are supported by most browsers in current use, and users are
used to scrolling. (However, we will still discuss these below.)
9.2.2 Analysing Overall Site Aims
The first activity of website development is the definition of the site's purpose. Begin with the broadest idea
and refine this.
Once the broad, high-level description of the site's purpose is known, refine the goals in more detail. Ask
yourself, "What are we trying to achieve?" and answer the question in a way that adds detail to the
description. Do not only consider the obvious questions concerning the site's purpose, but also the issues
around the implicit messages a potential customer might receive from the site. For example, if a website
selling holiday packages offers most of its packages in, say, Italy, as that is where most of the company's
customers have traditionally wanted to go, then the site might give the impression that Italy is the only
country that the company knows about. While some messages should be avoided, there might also be
positive messages that the site should given, such as those concerning the quality of the service, or how
long the company has been in business.
3
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